The senior vice foreign minister said Thursday he sees no problem with the business transactions between the Foreign Ministry and department store operator Mitsukoshi Ltd., despite suspicions raised by an opposition lawmaker at a Diet committee session the day before.
Shigeo Uetake said he believes Seiken Sugiura, the other senior vice foreign minister, did not sufficiently explain the transactions when questioned during a session of the House of Representatives Committee on Audit and Oversight of Administration.
"From what I have found, the Foreign Ministry's payments to Mitsukoshi are transferred to Mitsukoshi's bank account based on bills presented by the store," Uetake told a news conference.